The present invention is directed to portable work surfaces, and in particular to a portable desk or office device for use in vehicles or other temporary or movable work areas as both a storage medium and a portable laptop computer support and/or a support for a computer peripheral devices such as a printer, speakers, modem, or the like, as well as a writing surface.
People regularly conduct business away from fixed locations such as offices or homes. In such cases, individuals such as salespersons, contractors, and truckers frequently travel using motor vehicles to reach their contacts, work sites or destinations.
Along with reaching remote locations, traveling by motor vehicle enables these individuals to transport many of the items they may need to conduct their business, such as cellular phones, PDA's, documents, files, laptop/portable computers, pens, paperclips, and the like. By having such items in their vehicle, business people are better equipped to efficiently and effectively conduct a broad scope of business without having to make multiple trips between the location of their business contacts and fixed office environments.
However, the glove boxes, center consoles, and door pockets of most motor vehicles are ill equipped to contain the wide array of business and office equipment needed by individuals conducting business “on the road.” As such, the motor vehicles of these individuals can become cluttered, making it hard to find needed items or even resulting in lost items, thereby reducing the efficiency of business people conducting mobile business. Such equipment is also likely to move about the vehicle passenger compartment when the vehicle is driven, making it even more difficult to find specific items. Moreover, searching for items while driving is an unsafe practice that may lead to accidents. Furthermore, in the event of an accident, loose items in the passenger compartment of a vehicle can become dangerous projectiles that may injure the occupants.
Another difficulty with conducting business from a vehicle is that there are inadequate surfaces upon which to write or place a computer. As possible supports for portable computers or writing pads, center vehicle consoles are generally narrow and awkwardly positioned and vehicle seats are low and sloped, forcing uncomfortable access to the pad or computer keyboard. For the vehicle driver, either the computer must be supported on the lap of the driver or in the passenger seat adjacent the driver. When supported on the driver's lap, the computer must rest between his/her abdomen and the vehicle steering wheel with the computer screen pivoted up against the steering wheel. This places the computer in an awkward position overly close to the driver's abdomen making use of the keyboard difficult.
Similarly, when positioned adjacent the driver in the passenger seat, the laptop computer can easily move around. In such position, the driver must completely twist laterally to an awkward position for access to the laptop keyboard which likewise is in a difficult position for use. Prior known portable desks have included work surfaces for supporting laptop or portable computers in movable fashion but have been difficult to use with vehicles including center consoles since the work surfaces could not be positioned near the vehicle driver's seat and also could not effectively position the computer near the driver's seat again causing awkward access. Moreover, the positioning of the supported computer in such prior desks was below another work surface which prevented the convenient positioning of computer peripherals such as a printer near the computer and for easy access by the user. Previously, computer printers were typically positioned in inconvenient or unreachable positions on the vehicle floor or in the rear seat or cargo area of the vehicle preventing their use by the driver without stopping and exiting the vehicle to reach the printer position. As a result, there is a need for supporting a laptop or portable computer in a position sufficiently close to the user and at an appropriate angle to allow convenient use especially when the user is seated in the driver's seat of a vehicle, while allowing the computer to be moved out of the way for safe storage when the user drives the vehicle. Likewise, there is a need for supporting a computer printer or another computer peripheral device for convenient use in conjunction with a computer, especially by a person seated in the driver's seat of a vehicle.
Therefore, a device is needed to contain and organize business and office items used by individuals transacting business from motor vehicles, or other temporary work areas, and to provide an adequate writing or typing surface in the passenger compartment of such vehicles or areas. Further, a convenient and accessible laptop or portable computer support with or without an accompanying computer peripheral device or printer support is needed for rapid and accessible use by a person seated in the driver's seat of a vehicle while also providing convenient storage for the computer in a position that will not hinder vehicle operation.